This invention relates to the field of retail merchandising. Retail merchandise, and particularly clothing, is commonly displayed for sale on hangers. Some merchandise, such as shirts and jackets, is displayed on separate hangers. Other merchandise, such as socks, is attached to cardboard devices with apertures therein for hanging. The hangers are placed on horizontally-extending arms of various types of fixtures. Exemplary fixtures commonly used in retail merchandising include wall fixtures, 32-arm free-standing fixtures, and 16-arm free-standing fixtures. The fixtures are usually, but not always, metal, because they must hold a great amount of weight and are subject to both static and dynamic loads.
Collateral are visual pieces that draw the consumers' attention to the products, that identify the products, and that advertise special promotions. Special promotions are, by way of example and not by way of limitation, such offers as price reductions.
Consumer goods manufacturers, and especially manufacturers of clothing, have frequent promotional campaigns for their goods. For example, as part of a promotional campaign, field merchandisers employed by a clothing manufacturer will visit stores selling the manufacturer's clothes at retail, and place collateral on the goods that are subject to the promotional campaign. For example, a clothing manufacturer may offer a one-week special on shirts at 25 percent off the listed price. The field merchandisers go the retail stores and place collateral offering this special price reduction on all the shirts of that particular manufacturer that are being offered for sale.
Collateral is generally disposable and therefore usually made of heavy paper or cardboard. Collateral often consists of collar tags, which are placed on the hangers holding the promoted merchandise. Collar tag collateral is time-consuming (and therefore costly) to use, as a separate tag must be placed on every item. Furthermore, a consumer may remove an item of merchandise from the fixture arm for a closer look or to try it on, and in the process remove the collar tag. Consumers have little motivation to replace the collar tag on the hanger before returning the item to the fixture arm. Retail store employees are often similarly unmotivated. Field merchandisers report finding great quantities of collar tags scattered on the floors of retail stores and especially on the floors of fitting rooms of retail stores. Therefore, neither manufacturers, who pay for the collateral, nor retail stores, who must clean up the debris, prefer to use collar tags.
An alternative to collar tags is a collateral holder displayed at the end of a fixture arm. One method has been to have a separate arm to hold the collateral. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,239 to Thalenfeld, Merchandise Display Hook with Pivoting Label Holder, describes a label support that extends from the wall, above and parallel to the fixture arm. U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,463 to Mueller, Label Holder, similarly describes a body that extends from the wall, above and parallel to the fixture arm. These types of devices are bulky and usable only with certain types of fixtures.
Another alternative is for the arms of the fixtures to hold end caps, which are used to display collateral. End caps as known in the art are generally removable. A permanent end cap must always contain collateral, as an empty end cap presents a displeasing appearance to shoppers. Special promotions are not always in effect for all goods being sold, so collateral is not always available from the goods manufacturers and the retailers do not want to procure their own collateral. Accordingly, retailers do not want permanent end caps. Removable end caps, however, as are known in the art, are specific to specific fixtures. Different fixtures made by different manufacturers, or different models of fixtures from the same manufacturer, have different shapes.
Some exemplary types of fixture arms are shown in front perspective view in FIG. 1A and in rear perspective view in FIG. 1B. In these exemplary devices as used in the merchandising art, fixture arm 24 extends laterally from a wall or from fixture trunk (not shown) and terminating, at an end distal from the wall or trunk, in an end cap key 26. Some fixture arms 24 are generally round or polygonal, having a radially extending rib 28 at its end opposite the wall or trunk. Some fixture arms 24 are generally rectangular, having an upwardly extending strut 30. Merchandise hangs from fixture arm 24 for perusal by shoppers.
An end cap that fits one fixture arm will either not fit a different fixture arm at all, or will fit loosely. For example, an end cap designed to fit a fixture arm 24 with an outwardly extending rib 28 will not fit well on a fixture arm with an upwardly extending strut 26. A loose end cap is likely to be knocked off, which at a minimum removes the collateral therein from the view of shoppers.
Therefore, a particular retail establishment, which may own a number of different fixtures made by different fixture manufacturers, is required to maintain a supply of separate end caps for each type of fixture. Storing and keeping track of various end caps for different fixture arms, as a retail store changes its layouts at, for example, the beginning of a new season, is time consuming. There would be a commercial advantage in having a universal end cap that will fit almost any fixture arm.
Accordingly, there is a need for a universal, removable end cap to display collateral that will catch the eye of shoppers, to which collateral can be easily applied, and that will fit on various types of fixtures. The present invention meets this need.